View source for Passau (district)

{{Infobox German district
|name=Passau
|state=Bavaria
|image_flag=Flagge Landkreis Passau.svg
|image_coa=DEU Landkreis Passau COA.svg
|capital=[[Passau]]
|regierungsbezirk=[[Lower Bavaria]]
|area=1,530.28
|Kreisschlüssel=09275
| district_admin    = Raimund Kneidinger 
| admin_party       = CSU
|carsign=PA
|url={{url|https://www.landkreis-passau.de}}
|map={{Germany district OSM map |parent_subdivision = Q980}}
}}
'''Passau''' is a [[Districts of Germany|''Landkreis'' (district)]] in the southeast of [[Bavaria]], [[Germany]]. It encloses the city of [[Passau]] geographically from two sides. Neighboring districts are (from the east clockwise) [[Rottal-Inn]], [[Deggendorf (district)|Deggendorf]], [[Freyung-Grafenau]]. To the south it borders [[Austria]].

==History==
Archaeological findings prove that the area was settled more than 7000 years ago. 

The city of Passau's name in [[Roman times]] was Batava (also known as Batavia). Passau survived three major fires, the biggest one being the all-destructive fire from 1662. After much of the city had burned down, bishops rebuilt it in the [[Baroque style]]. Massive cathedrals such as the [[St. Stephen's Cathedral, Passau|St. Stephan's Dom]] (Dom means "cathedral" in German) survive and impress visitors from all over the world. St. Stephan's Dom houses the world's largest church organ outside the United States.<ref>Wikipedia Foundation, [[St. Stephen's Cathedral, Passau]], accessed on 22 July 2025</ref>

In 1971 the Passau district was created by merging the previous districts, Wegscheid, Vilshofen, Griesbach (Rottal), and parts of the districts of Pfarrkirchen and Eggenfelden. 

==Geography==
The district consists of two geographically different parts, separated by the river [[Danube]]. In the north is the southern part of the [[Bavarian Forest|Bayrischer Wald]] (Bavarian Forest) mountains with hills up to 1000 meters tall. In the south of the [[Danube]] river the landscape is only hilly with plains between the valleys of the Inn and Ilz river.

==Coat of arms==
The bottom of the coat of arms show the blue-and-white checkered symbol of Bavaria. In the top part is a red wolf and a red panther. The wolf represents the abbey of Passau (''Hochstift Passau''), which is now the central part of the district. The panther is the symbol of the [[Wittelsbach]] family, and it represents the area of the former districts Vilshofen and Griesbach.

==Towns and municipalities==
{{Imagemap Germany district PA|Municipalities in PA.svg|300px{{!}}thumb{{!}}left{{!}}Clickable map of towns and municipalities in the district}}
{|
! align=left width=33% | Towns
! align=left width=33% | [[Amt (political division)|Verbandsgemeinden]]
! align=left width=33% | Municipalities
|- valign=top
||
# [[Bad Griesbach]] (Rottal)
# [[Hauzenberg]]
# [[Pocking]]
# [[Vilshofen an der Donau|Vilshofen]]
||
# [[Aidenbach]]{{efn|group=amt|Aidenbach Verbandsgemeinde consists of the market town municipality of '''Aidenbach''' and the municipality of '''Beutelsbach'''.}}
# [[Rotthalmünster]]{{efn|group=amt|Rotthalmünster Verbandsgemeinde consists of the municipality of '''Malching''' and the market town municipality of '''Rotthalmünster'''.}}
# [[Tittling]]{{efn|group=amt|Tittling Verbandsgemeinde consists of the market town municipality of '''Tittling''' and the municipality of '''Witzmannsberg'''.}}
'''Market towns (märkte)'''
# [[Aidenbach]]
# [[Eging am See]]
# [[Fürstenzell]]
# [[Hofkirchen, Bavaria|Hofkirchen]]
# [[Hutthurm]]
# [[Obernzell]]
# [[Ortenburg, Bavaria|Ortenburg]]
# [[Rotthalmünster]]
# [[Tittling]]
# [[Untergriesbach]]
# [[Wegscheid]]
# [[Windorf]]
||
# [[Aicha vorm Wald]]
# [[Aldersbach]]
# [[Bad Füssing]]
# [[Beutelsbach]]
# [[Breitenberg, Lower Bavaria|Breitenberg]]
# [[Büchlberg]]
# [[Fürstenstein]]
# [[Haarbach]]
# [[Kirchham]]
# [[Kößlarn]]
# [[Malching]]
# [[Neuburg am Inn]]
# [[Neuhaus am Inn]]
# [[Neukirchen vorm Wald]]
# [[Ruderting]]
# [[Ruhstorf an der Rott]]
# [[Salzweg]]
# [[Sonnen]]
# [[Tettenweis]]
# [[Thyrnau]]
# [[Tiefenbach, Passau|Tiefenbach]]
# [[Witzmannsberg]]
|}

;Notes:
{{notelist|group=amt}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Landkreis Passau}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20070205063442/http://www.landkreis-passau.de/ Official website] (German)

{{Germany_districts_bavaria}}
{{Cities and towns in Passau (district)}}

{{Coord|48.5|13.33|display=title|format=dms}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Passau (District)}}
[[Category:Passau (district)| ]]
[[Category:Districts of Bavaria]]
[[Category:Lower Bavaria]]